This invention pertains to a device to secure an outer margin of a lining sheet to a land border of a pond, which may be water-filled, as in a garden.
In landscaping, it is common to line man-made or natural ponds with lining sheets (pond liners) of polymeric materials, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. It is known to secure a lining sheet at its outer margin to a land border of a pond by means of stakes driven through the outer margin, into the land border or into timbers underlying the outer margin, by means of heavy objects placed on the outer margin, such as bricks, blocks, timbers, rocks, or gravel, or by both such means.
Without such heavy objects placed on the outer margin, such stakes may not be entirely satisfactory, as the outer margin of the lining sheet may become torn from such stakes. It is a practical necessity to place many landscaping and hardscaping materials so as to be outwardly spaced from the pond and so as not to cover some of the outer margin of the lining sheet, as neither of such means provides anything to prevent any of those materials from slipping into the pond.
This invention provides a device to secure an outer margin of a lining sheet to a land border of a pond, which may be water-filled, as in a garden. The device comprises an elongate member, which is employed as a surround. Preferably, the elongate member is made preferably from a suitable, polymeric material, such as black poly(vinyl chloride) containing impact modifiers or such as polyeethylene, as by extruding and punching. Alternatively, the elongate member is made from a sheet of a suitable metal, such as a steel or aluminum sheet, as by extruding and punching or as by roll-forming.
Broadly, the elongate member defines a wall and a flange projecting from the wall. Preferably, the flange meets the wall at a junction dividing the wall into an upper portion and a lower portion. Broadly, the device comprises a fastener having a pointed shank, such as a metal or polymeric stake. Preferably, the fastener may be one of a plurality of similar fasteners, which when utilized are spaced from one another along the flange.
The pointed shank of each fastener is arranged to be driven through the flange, which may have a preformed hole to receive the pointed shank, through the outer margin of the lining sheet, into the land border of the pond, whereby to secure the outer margin of the lining sheet to the land border of the pond so that the wall, at the upper portion if the wall is divided as mentioned above, projects upwardly and defines a landscaping or hardscaping border and, if the wall is divided as mentioned above, so that the lower portion of the wall projects downwardly into the pond to limit uplifting of the lining sheet.
Preferably, the flange is divided into a series of tabs enabling the wall to flex and the fastener is one of a plurality of fasteners, each of which is arranged to be driven through one of the tabs, through the outer lining of the tabs, into the land border of the pond. Each tab may have a fastener or some but not all tabs may have fasteners.
Advantageously, landscaping materials, such as soil with or without grass or other plants having shallow roots, hardscaping materials, such as bricks, blocks, boulders, timbers, or gravel, can be thus placed onto the flange, against the wall, at the upper portion if the wall is divided as mentioned above. Thus, as far as the wall extends above the flange, the wall confines those materials and helps to prevent any of those materials from slipping into the pond.
Advantageously, the elongate member protects the outer margin of the lining sheet against direct contact with sunlight, which could cause ultraviolet degradation of the lining sheet, at its outer margin, if its outer margin were unprotected.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention are evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.